A new book by Caroline Leaper, deputy fashion director at The Telegraph, documents how many of the world’s best known supermodels were plucked from obscurity …
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At airports or subway stations, supermarkets or the local park, some of the most famous supermodels were discovered in decidedly unglamorous and unremarkable locations. For Caroline Leaper’s new book, Supermodels Discovered, she loved finding out the origin stories of 53 fashion icons: their initial chance encounters with an agent or photographer, but also what happened next to make them a world-famous fashion star. Here are ten of her favourites.
Jean Shrimpton
Jean Shrimpton’s discovery in the early 1960s was particularly of its time – she completed secretarial college, then enrolled in one of London’s best finishing schools or “charm academies” to take classes in “deportment” – which led her to modelling. I love that her big break came from a very unfashionable assignment … photographer David Bailey spotted her shooting an advert for Kellogg’s!
Pat Cleveland
Pat Cleveland gave an incredible interview for the book, detailing how exactly she mastered her signature fluid walk in 1966, while standing on top of shaky townhall tables. She was always incredibly artistic and made her own clothes as a teenager. She was wearing one of her own creations when she was first spotted by a Vogue employee on the subway in New York.
Natalia Vodianova
Natalia Vodianova’s discovery story is one of the most extraordinary. She grew up in a Russian industrial city and sold fruit at her mother’s roadside stall from the age of eleven. Attending a model scouting event changed her fortune entirely. Suddenly, she was living in Paris, modelling for Vogue or on the catwalk for Yves Saint Laurent.
Alek Wek
The spontaneity of Alek Wek’s discovery is so charming. She was a student when a scout spotted her in London’s Crystal Palace Park. Her career was launched by the single polaroid picture taken that day in 1995 (I like that the camera of choice was so of its time). She didn’t have a fancy portfolio, so she turned up at her first casting for Tina Turner’s GoldenEye music video with just that photograph in her file, but she got the job.
Coco Rocha
Coco Rocha was 14 years old and at an Irish dance class when she was first spotted, but I particularly enjoyed hearing her memories of what came next. She put in the work with a stint striking catalogue poses in Singapore, then worked with a runway coach in New York who had her practice walking on tar. Ultimately, she became a supermodel under the tutelage of photographer Steven Meisel.
Claudia Schiffer
Claudia Schiffer still remembers the exact song she was dancing to when she was scouted in a Dusseldorf disco: Dead or Alive’s You Spin Me Right Round. She shared some truly personal stories for the book and can recall all of the details as if they happened yesterday, right down to the Fiorucci sweatshirt and blue eyeshadow she wore.
Amber Valletta
I loved speaking to Amber Valletta too. She told me about her start as a “mannequin model” (essentially holding poses for hours on end in boutique windows) as a teenager in Oklahoma. The work she put in, combined with her gracious nature and sense of humour, became the foundation for her wildly successful career.
Halima Aden
Interest in Halima came seemingly overnight when she entered the 2016 Miss Minnesota USA pageant – the first contestant wearing a hijab. Hers is a modern story that shows how quickly a new supermodel can ‘go viral’ today. French fashion director Carine Roitfeld took her under her wing, booking her for New York and Milan Fashion Weeks. Within a month, her world changed.
Kendall Jenner
I found it just as fascinating to research the trajectories of today’s Insta-famous supermodels, such as Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid. Kendall’s entire upbringing was documented on her family’s reality TV show, so the challenge was to be taken seriously as a high fashion model. While most newcomers seek to stand out, she succeeded by blending in, making her debut while unrecognisable in a wig.
Kate Moss
It would be impossible to compile a list of my favourite supermodel discovery stories without mentioning Kate Moss. Hers is probably the most widely-known of all (noticed at an airport), but I loved researching beyond the fashion folklore to find out the finer details about the encounter and the “Summer Of Love” editorial that launched her. Her story became legend and proved that new faces can be found absolutely anywhere.
Supermodels Discovered by Caroline Leaper, published by Laurence King, is out now, £25stg; www.laurenceking.com
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